The Toronto Community Crisis Service (TCCS) pilot project successfully diverted 78 per cent of 911 mental health crisis calls, according to a mid-year progress report.
The project was launched in early 2022 as part of the city’s attempt to follow a community-based response to mental health crisis calls without police involvement.
The mid-year report was brought to the city council on Jan.16. This was completed by third party evaluators from the Provincial System Support Program and Shkaabe Makwa, both at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).
The project currently services four areas in the city and according to the report, TCCS handled a total of 2,489 calls, with 84 per cent of these calls resulting in crisis workers being dispatched.
The report said that most calls did not find a need to involve police officers and TCCS requested the assistance of officers in only 2.5 per cent of calls.
The city of Toronto released its proposed 2023 budget, which includes a 25 per cent increase for TCCS.
The release of the mid-year report comes after the city’s proposed $48.3 million Toronto police budget increase.
The city announced Jan. 26 it will be deploying 80 additional Toronto police officers to the TTC in response to recent attacks.
But activists and community organizers voiced concerns over the increase in police presence at a protest on Jan. 24, with fears this may have negative impacts on those experiencing homelessness.
Dr. Marina Morrow, a York University professor of Health Policy and Management, said homelessness is often a factor leading to a mental health crisis.
“Everybody knows if you’re stabilized through housing and you have a livable wage, even if you have a mental health illness or distress, that you’re just going to be in a better place to heal,” she said.
Several city counsellors sent a letter to mayor John Tory questioning the necessity of deploying additional officers to the TTC and the impact it will have on those who are in a mental health crisis.
“An estimated 30 per cent to 50 per cent of TTC Special Constable interactions involve passengers who are experiencing homelessness, have a mental health challenge, are in crisis, or are under the effects of an intoxicant,” the statement said.
“What alternatives were considered to increase safety on public transit and respond to the needs of people in crisis, including investing in trained crisis response and mental health outreach workers to proactively support these transit users?” the statement asked.
It was signed by Counsellors Amber Morley, Gord Perks, Alejandra Bravo, Ausma Malik, Josh Matlow, and Paula Fletcher.
Groups such as the Shelter and Housing Justice Network said more investment into social services such as housing with rent geared to income would help ease the effects of homelessness.
Morrow said underfunding at all levels of government is preventing the implementation of more community-based models as a form of mental health care.
“We don’t have the publicly funded available tools to really support people’s mental health well before they get into a crisis,” she said. “We have to publicly fund a wider range of services for people with mental health issues.”
In response to the TCCS mid-year report, Mayor John Tory said in a news release he continues “to call on the provincial and federal governments to make more long-term sustainable investments into mental health care.”
The evaluation report for TCCS will be brought to city council in fall 2023.